Compassion
by Shadowman-DDT
Summary: After the Battle of Haven, Blake is still trying to process the new information given to her when she has an emotional confrontation with Yang. Can they finally mend their fractured friendship?


Mistral truly was a beautiful city, especially when illuminated by the moon. Blake hadn't taken the time to explore the city in any great detail given her reasons for coming in the first place. And everything that happened after the Battle of Haven had taken a considerable amount of time. She needed to get some air after reconnecting with her friends and headed out the back of the apartment Qrow rented out for them on to the large circular balcony over looking the city. She leaned over the rail and took a moment to appreciate the lay-out and architecture of Mistral, some of it similar to Menagerie. If given the opportunity, Blake could see herself living here.

But there was a reason she chose to attend Beacon over the other Academies. Atlas was simply out of the question. Ignoring the fact she wouldn't have felt comfortable going to a school with such close ties to the Schnee Dust Company (The irony that she ended up on a team with the SDC heiress was not lost on her) the discrimination against the Faunus there was widely known, and the story of Illia's time at an Atlas school just cemented the idea she could never live there. Especially since she'd essentially be attempting the same thing Illia tried.

While Mistral did remind her of home, it had more than it's share of problems. The class divide of Mistral, while not as drastic as the differences between Atlas and Mantel, was still very apparent. Blake wasn't sure she'd be okay with living in her little Ivory Tower with so much unsavory activity going on below her. It was something she ignored for long enough while with the White Fang.

Shade seemed like a viable option. The people were laid back, easy going; something she could have used considering what she was coming from. And the attitude towards Faunus there was just as laid back as their attitude towards everything. If you could survive in Vacuo, you had people's respect. And she could definitely survive. But she already struggled enough. The harshness of Vacuo combined with the rigors of becoming a Huntress and hiding her past was far more daunting a task than she was willing to deal with at the time.

Vale was the best option. Things weren't perfect there, but Faunus could make a life, the city was well protected against Grimm, the environment was pleasant, and Beacon was largely considered one of the more respectable Academies. For a former terrorist trying to turn her life around, it was perfect.

And for the longest time, things were great. She loved her new team, and all of her other friends. She got a new perspective on what effect her White Fang activities had on their so called enemies thanks to Weiss. It's still wild to think one of her best friends is a Schnee. She was given the chance to see the strength of innocence and optimism in Ruby. Blake never thought she would have so much respect and admiration for someone she initially thought of as naive and childish.

And then there's Yang.

What could she even say about Yang? She was her partner, her best friend. The one person she could always count on. And what did she do? She doubted her during the tournament and abandoned her when she needed her most. Blake never felt more shame in her entire life then when she left her team without warning. She always justified it to herself that it was to protect them, to make sure Adam didn't hurt Ruby or Weiss the way he hurt Yang. But in her heart, she knew that wasn't the whole truth.

If Blake had never come to Beacon, Adam wouldn't have targeted Yang. Yes Beacon's fall most likely would have gone down the way it did without her, but her friend wouldn't have suffered the way she did if her psychotic ex-partner didn't want to get back at her.

And in the end, even the excuse that she was trying to keep her friends out of danger proved totally pointless. It wasn't surprising, if she really thought about it. If nothing else, Ruby would have figured out a way to throw herself into danger eventually. But at no point on her way to Haven did she expect to find both her team and the remains of JNPR fighting Cinder's cronies, some big guy she's never seen before, and of all people the headmaster of Haven.

Once everything finally calmed down, her friends were able to explain just what the hell was going on. And boy was there a lot going on. Like, too much. Blake had never been so blindsided with so much new information at once; magic is a thing apparently, that's something to consider.

There was also a lot more to Ozpin and Ruby and Yang's drunk uncle than she originally thought. Like Ozpin being immortal, for one thing. Or as close to immortal as you could considering his situation. She noticed the boy around Ruby's age with the others, but didn't put much thought into it until the revelation that Ozpin was in his head. Oscar was still resting, so Blake would have to wait until tomorrow to talk to "Cute Little Boy Ozpin" as Nora kept calling him.

And then there was that giant woman Emerald made everyone see. Salem, Oscar called her. She was the one responsible for the Fall of Beacon and, according to some of the White Fang members they captured, Adam was working with her to destroy Haven. And if that wasn't bad enough, she also controls the Grimm. All of them. And less than a year ago she thought Adam was the worst thing she had to worry about. Compared to Salem, Adam is only slightly more of a threat than Roman Torchwick.

Blake was so preoccupied with her thoughts of future threats; she didn't hear the sound of heavy boots coming up behind her. "Hey..."

Blake whipped around see Yang standing idly with a heartbreakingly indifferent look on her face. This was the first time the two were alone together since the end of the attack, and Blake had absolutely no idea how to act around her. She tried to say something, anything to her, but all words died in her throat as soon as she opened her mouth.

Yang glared at her for a few seconds before wordlessly walking up to the railing and leaning over to gaze at the city. Blake kept her eyes on Yang longer than was probably appropriate, but she just couldn't help it. She had simultaneously looked forward to and dreaded this moment for months.

Yang. Here. In front of her.

She couldn't help but notice the way the moonlight brilliantly bounced off Yang's golden locks the same way the sun always would. It seemed strangely poetic that Yang would still be so radiant even in the dead of night.

There was something...different about Yang compared to their time at Beacon. Not counting the obvious and understandable bitterness towards her, Blake could see there was something about the way Yang carried herself in the short time they've been together. So much of the overwhelming cockiness that permeated the very core of her being was gone. She no longer gave off the impression that she could jump head first into a horde of Goliath and walk away unscathed.

She still exuded all the strength Blake remembered, more so if anything, but it seemed...tempered. Focused. Yang once claimed that she felt aimless. That she wanted to be a Huntress because of a thirst for adventure, but other than that, she didn't know what she wanted out of life. But now, it seemed like she had a stronger sense of purpose. Like she had a better understanding of who she was.

Yang had grown in the time they've spent apart, and Blake wanted believe she had as well. But, here she was to afread to say anything. She wasn't sure what to say; what could she say other than, "I'm sorry."

"Yea...Weiss gave me your message." Yang says with an indifferent voice and not even looking at her.

Blake stared at her for a moment, not sure what else she could say. Eventually, she just sighed and turned to walk away. "Running away again?" Yang threw out, still not looking at Blake.

That made Blake flinch, visibly flinch. "Okay...yea...I-I deserve that." She turned back to Yang, "Look, I don't...know what to say. Adam...the guy who..." She takes a deep breath before continuing, "Do you remember, after the incident with Mercury, when I told you about my partner in the White Fang? The one who started going too far with out me realizing it?"

"That was Adam?" Yang ask, finally looking at her.

Blake nodded with her eyes on the ground. "When he had me pinned down, He said he'd destroy everything I love. And that's when you showed up." She looked up at her partner with tears glistening in her eyes, "I had to leave. I didn't want Adam to hurt Ruby or Weiss the way he hurt you."

Yang combed a hand through her hair and sighed, "I mean, I guess I can get that. But, Blake...You didn't have to leave. You know us; we could have kept each other safe if you just warned us about him."

"I know..." Blake said, looking down again, "That's...I kept telling myself I left for you; to keep everyone safe. But, the truth is...I left, because I couldn't stand looking at you."

A harsh look grow on her face, "Wow, thanks for that."

"No, no...It's because...What happened to you is my fault."

Yang just looks at her confused for a second, "What are you talking about? How was this you're fault?" She asks, gesturing to her prosthetic arm.

"Yang, weren't you listening to me!?" Blake snap, "Adam threatened to kill anyone near me! And he almost made good on that threat with you! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place. And just knowing that...every time I look at you I'm hit with this wave of soul crushing guilt." Blake takes a shuddered breath as tears finally begin to fall, "And that's why I left. Not because I wanted to keep you safe...It was because I couldn't stand the guilt of my best friend getting maimed just because she knew me! And I hate myself because of that!"

She turned away from Yang and did the best she could to keep herself from completely falling apart. She took a few deep breaths before continuing, "When Sun and I were in Menagerie, I told him when I think of someone, a single word will come to mind. For you, I think of Strength. For Sun, Earnest. And Adam, Spite. But if I had to do the same for myself...Coward is the only thing that fits."

There was a tense, stiflingly silence after Blake's outburst. She sniffles and tried to clean her face up a little, feeling more raw than she had in a long time. Not reconnecting with her parents, not even dealing with Sun after Illia attacked him left Blake as vulnerable as finally letting the guilt she's felt for the last several months out. The last, heaviest burden on her soul had been lifted. She just wasn't sure where she'd go from here. I mean, there's no way Yang would want anything to do with her after such a confession.

After what felt like the longest silence in history, Yang mutters under her breath, "Goddammit, Weiss..."

Blake's ears perked up and she turned back to Yang rubbing her face with her flesh and blood hand, "What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing...Just forget it." Yang takes a breath before looking into Blake's eyes, "Look...What you...Leaving like you did...it hurt. A lot. And...I'm still pissed. But...I mean, I get it. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing if I were in your place. But Blake, losing my arm wasn't your fault. It was Adam's."

"But if you weren't my partner, Adam wouldn't have gone after you. Adam may have actually done the damage, but losing your arm is entirely my fault."

"No, it isn't." Yang starts to close the distance between them, "Blake, not everything Adam or the White Fang do is your fault. You can't put so much on yourself. "

Blake casts her eyes down when Yang is less than a foot away from her, "How can I not?"

Yang sighs and crosses her arms. "Yea...I guess you would say something like that." Blake looks up at her, and is surprised to see a strangely content smile on Yang's face. "You said that 'Coward' is the one word that best described you. And kitten, you are so wrong."

Yang takes Blake's hands into her own, "You became the White Fang's strongest supporter because you wanted equality for the Faunus. You left the White Fang when you realize they were doing more harm then good. You became a huntress to protect everyone instead of just one group of people. Whether you want to admit it or not, you left to protect us. And you came back...because you just can't ignore someone when they need you.

Blake...when I think of you...the only word that comes to mind is Compassion."

Blake smiles with a few tears slipping through, "So, does this mean you forgive me?"

Yang looked to side and bites her lip, "I will...eventually. There's just some stuff I need to work out for myself first." Blake just nodded and released Yang hands. Her bombshell partner stepped around her to head back into the apartment. However, before Blake could turn towards their temporary home herself, Yang firmly slaps her ass.

Blake whips around with her face burning bright. Yang just flashes a cheeky grin while walking backwards. "Let's head back inside! Ruby and Ren are like a dream team in the kitchen, and I think we earned a celebration dinner considering we saved Haven, right?"

She's teasing her. Teasing is good. Teasing means, they're back to normal. Or at least getting there. Blake just smiles at her partner and follows her inside. It doesn't matter how long it will take for Yang to fully forgive and trust her again. She can wait. She isn't going anywhere.

* * *

This is just something I wanted get done before the next season started up. Thing is, I started and wrote the bulk of this a few months ago, but I started to rethink things and I doubt the talk between Blake and Yang will be anything like this. First of all I doubt they will be staying in Mistral for very long, and the season will most likely start in Atlas. And considering everything she's been through, I have a feeling Yang will be very elusive about her feelings towards Blake. I mean she won't actively avoid Blake or anything, but she will try to act like nothing's bothering her when it very clearly is. and at some point, in kind of an inverse of the talk from Burning the Candle in volume 2, Blake will force the issue and have Yang finally deal with how she's feeling.

Or not, I don't fucking know.


End file.
